Prospective associations among youth assets, neighborhood characteristics, and tobacco use within the context of race/ethnicity and income: The Youth Asset Study (YAS)

The YAS is a 5-wave longitudinal study that followed 1111 youth/parent pairs to determine the impact of youth assets and other factors on youth risk behaviors, including youth tobacco use. This study's purpose is to explore prospective relationships between youth assets, neighborhood factors, race/ethnicity, federal poverty level (FPL), and tobacco use among youth. Data were analyzed using marginal logistic regression and included 1001 youth: 53% female; mean age=14.36 (SD=1.59); 26% Black, 31% Hispanic, and 43% White; 50% with income <$5,000; and 69% two-parent families. Seventeen youth assets were summed and divided at the median to form a high vs. low asset variable. Assets at Waves 1-4 and neighborhood factors at Wave 1 were used to predict tobacco use at Waves 2 – 5 while controlling for several demographic variables. Whites had the highest prevalence of tobacco use throughout waves 2-5, followed by Blacks and Hispanics. Youth reporting a high asset level (at waves 1-4) were more likely to report no tobacco use (at waves 2-5); however, higher odds of no tobacco use were identified among Blacks, followed by Hispanics and Whites (ORs=2.5, 2.4 and 2.0, respectively). Interestingly, youth with parents whose income was 300+% FPL and who had a more positive sense of community were twice as likely to use tobacco. Having a high number of assets is protective against tobacco use for all races. Neighborhood factors might have a negative impact on tobacco use among youth living in higher level income families.